The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-10-14
THE GUILLOTINE.
It's History and It's Sureness-The
French Execution.
Paris Letter to Tie Epoch.

Paris Letter to the Epoch.
The beheading Of Pranzini gives what
the French call dctualite to the subject of
executions. Let US see how an assassin in
this country pays his debt to society. France
is, with the exception of Italy, the sole
European country that decapitates its muir
derers. Germany uses the AK only in cases
of high treason; Spain and Portugal gar
rote their assaSsinS. Switzerland and Bel
GUM have practically abolished the death
penalty.
Without going into a scientific discussion
as to the advantage Of beheading over the
more general-and according to the popu-
lar idea, more infamous-mode of hang
ing, the guillotine has the precious advan-
tage of being sure every time; there
are no cords to break or stretch, and
no miscalculation is ever made in the
drop"
1t is a curious and not generally known
fact that the first guillotine was constructed
after designs of a recorder at Strasburg, by
a certain Tobias Schmitz, manufactures of
what Is to-day considered another instru-
ment of torture-the piano. Until 1872 the
guillotine had not been much improved. 1t
resembled the scaifOld that is used in
America. A flight Of steps led up to the
platform, which was surrounded by a rail
ing The idea was to let everybody see. 5"
The guillotine was called by criminals the
Abbdye de Monte-d Regret .signifying that it
was an abbey which separated them from the
world and that they mounted its steps with
regret Heindereich, who was the he IDS
man in 1872, had greatly improved the in
strument. Instead of a monster machine
that it took three or four hours to put to-
gether, Heindereich reduced the guillotine
to its simplest expression and such as it is
to-day; two upright iron beams containing
two grooves on each inner side, one for the
"lunette, or socket, and the other for the
trapeziform knife a perpendicular swing
ing plank rising to the level of the cul priJ'S
breast, against which he is thrown forward
between the two beams; at the right of this
plank, and leaning on to a willow basket,
painted black and partly filled with BRAN
is board over which they slide the body
after decapitation; to the left, two pals of
carbonated water; in 'front.', a sort of zinc
tub into which the head falls. The guilo-
tine was formerly painted in red, and the
knife so exposed that it was the first object
seen by the condemned man on leaving the
prison gate Now it is of a pale yellow
color, and the knife is concealed.
The guillotine is erected on the part of
the Rue de la Roquette, which forms a
small square between the two prisons
fronting ON it. One is the Grand Roquette,
used for condemned to long terms of i'm
prisonment or Punishment and who re-
main here until they are sent elsewhere
or shipped to New Caledonia. The other
is Little Roquette, where minors are con-
fined
The distance from the prison door to the
guillotne is not more than twenty steps.
The executions take place at the dawn of
day, and as far as anything being seen by
the crowd they are practically private.
Only the journalists and few privileged
ones are limited on the square At
o'clock in the morning the cavalry and in
fantry of the Paris Municipal Guard, 100
each, fifty cavalry gendarmes and about
5O0poicemen appear. The soldiers push
back the mob 50 as to leave the entire square
clear Shortly afterward the executioner
arrives in a large red wagon which contains
the guillotine. The instrument is packed in
a number of cases, each piece being num-
bered The aids put it together, the work
not lasting over half an hour When the
knife is in place the headsman tries its edge
on a bundle of straw to see that it slides
easily and cuts we'll Just before the mo-
ment of execution the gendarmes arrange
themselves in a horse shoe form around the
guillotine, and two rows of policemen form
a line from the prison door to the instru-
ment. 1t is through this line that the
condemned passes.
CHARLES SEYMOUR.